033 CAMOUFLAGE
The auction hall felt less like a marketplace and more like a grand evening gala. Guests mingled in elegant suits and gowns, glasses of wine or champagne in hand, bid paddles tucked under their arms.
Everyone wore masks—anonymity was part of the game.
Before the auction began, attendees lingered at long tables, sampling fine cuisine and vintage bottles. Damen had never tasted anything so extravagant. To him, it felt like raiding a buffet.
Zairgid had slipped away to meet his father and mingle with wealthy acquaintances, leaving Damen to his own devices.
That's when someone bumped into him, nearly spilling her glass. Damen caught it with one hand and steadied the woman with the other.
"You look familiar," she said, studying him through his mask.
Damen smirked. "Familiar? With a mask on? Try a better pick-up line next time."
Her expression flickered, and without another word she pulled back and left, embarrassed.
Yet Damen felt a strange recognition too about the girl. He couldn't place it at first until instinct kicked in. Slipping out his phone, he discreetly activated his mining app and caught her image.
The name flashed on screen.
"Damn, I was right." He quickly saved her to his Favorite List.
Curiosity sparked within him about the girl.
Carefully, he shadowed her movements from afar as she joined another table, speaking quietly with two men: an older, broad-shouldered figure, and a tall, slim one with sharp posture.
Damen tagged them both, then checked their details.
Name: Dorin West | SIA Codename: Mechanic
Rank: F
Strength: 17 | Charm: 16 | Meta: 32 | Command: 30
Name: Ambrone Melrose | SIA Codename: Director
Rank: C
Strength: 85 | Charm: 8 | Meta: 320 | Command: 309
Name: Lander Strong | SIA Codename: Detective
Rank: F
Strength: 19 | Charm: 31 | Meta: 36 | Command: 33
Damen's eyes widened. "SIA?" Then it clicked in his mind. It was the Superheroes Intelligence Agency.
So Dorin wasn't just a casual trainer at Heroes' Gym. She was an undercover operative for SIA.
"And this Detective…" Damen thought, his gaze flicking to the slim man. If the codename matched his role, he had to be the mind behind their investigations. Dorin wouldn't have the brains to run a case on her own—she was only following orders.
His eyes shifted to the older one. "Director… a Melrose. He must be tied to Hansen Melrose, the city's governor."
Damen leaned back, his lips curling into a thin smile. This wasn't just a night at the auction. He had stumbled onto something far more valuable—information.
And he would save it for later.
-----
"What was that about? Who were you talking to?" Director Ambrone asked Dorin, his tone half-jesting. "Don't jeopardize our mission by flirting with boys."
"That guy's a jerk," Dorin muttered, before quickly adding, "Anyway, I've scouted the hall. Most of the guests are accounted for." She handed him a datapad filled with notes and photographs.
Lander took the pad, swiping through the profiles with practiced precision. His eyes narrowed. "You missed the man you just bumped into."
Dorin crossed her arms. "He's probably just some spoiled heir. He tried a pick-up line on me."
Ambrone chuckled. "He dared to hit on our Dorin? Bold move."
Her cheeks flushed, and she looked away.
Dorin was usually a background operative—she rarely worked the field. Tonight was an exception, and the unexpected encounter with a cute stranger had left her a little off-balance.
Still, their focus was clear.
The SIA was here for one reason: this auction.
With so many influential figures gathered under one roof, they were tasked with safeguarding both the guests and the event itself especially protecting the main auction item of the night: The Eye of Ra.
The three operatives resumed their quiet surveillance, their eyes sweeping the masked crowd for threats. Beyond the laughter and clinking glasses, the atmosphere hummed with tension.
Soon, the auction would begin.
----
"I spoke to my father. You can have these," Zairgid said, handing Damen a datapad. A long list of equipment glowed across the screen.
Damen raised a brow. "Are we bidding on these later?"
Zairgid snorted. "Are you kidding? Everything up for auction tonight costs millions of Aurs. These are already paid for and waiting at the stores. We'll pick them up later."
"Then why even drag me here?" Damen asked.
"My father wanted to see you," Zairgid replied.
"Alright, let's go…" Damen started, but Zairgid quickly stopped him.
"Not personally. You just being here is enough. His assistants have already looked you over."
Damen frowned. "Wait. They checked me without me even noticing?"
Zairgid shrugged. "We also pulled your records from the meta training center. Father knows everything about you now."
"Damn you rich people," Damen muttered.
"Relax. We can leave anytime. I booked us a room at Black Owl. This place is just for old men throwing money around."
"Go now? What about the food?" Damen asked, reaching for another plate. "Let me finish eating first. The rich can waste fortunes bidding for treasures, while I'll enjoy my buffet."
Zairgid shook his head. "You're unbelievable. A complete glutton."
-----
The auction rolled on without a hitch while Damen stuffed himself. Few dared compete with him for the lobsters and caviar, and he happily claimed the buffet.
Although he wasn't poor anymore, the food here were luxuries that few could afford and he would rather not waste money on… if he must pay the bill.
But the meal was free tonight so he wouldn't miss it.
Then, to his shock and horror, the ceiling groaned—and collapsed in a rain of steel and plaster.
"Damnit, the ceiling broke", Damen cried.
Figures in sleek black suits dropped through the wreckage, some sliding down with ropes, others descending on their jet packs.
They smashed through the exhibits and started looting.
Panic surged through the hall. Guests bolted for the exits, only to slam against shimmering force fields. The doors were locked from outside.
The guests inside were trapped. Guards outside pounded in vain, unable to break through.
"Dammit," Zairgid hissed at Damen. "If not for your gluttony, we'd be long gone. Now what are we going to do with these bloody robbers?"
"How was I supposed to know anyone would dare rob this place?" Damen shot back.
These weren't ordinary guests in the room—they were meta-humans, some ranked up to C-class.
But the intruders were no pushovers. Every one of them radiated power, ranked D or C. There were no weaklings among them and they were prepared for this, armed to the teeth.
An epic clash between heroes and villains would ensue.
Damen and Zairgid ducked into a corner.
"What do we do now?" Zairgid asked.
"Do what you do best… hide", Damen replied.
With a flicker, Zairgid's body shimmered and vanished. His meta-skill, Camouflage, blended him to the background, rendering him almost invisible.
Damen's eyes widened. He had the same ability, acquired not long ago. But he hadn't trained it yet.
"Dammit—why doesn't Camouflage work for me?" he muttered, fumbling.
034 THE MASKED AUCTION ROBBERY
In desperation, Damen rolled under a table, pulling out his phone.
Peeking through the table linen, he quickly captured the robbers' images and saved them into his favorites. After he caught all of them, he didn't need to risk exposing himself.
Instead, he went back into the darkness of the under table and tapped on one of the tagged profiles and pressed—Live View.
The feed lit up. His perspective snapped to the eyes of a robber, who was locked in combat with a guard.
"Holy crap… this is insane," Damen whispered, grinning despite himself.
The robber's hands charged with searing light, a lethal laser ….building for a kill shot.
Damen didn't think—he just pressed Acquire: Meta.
The robber jolted, staggering as the psychic strike stole his focus. The beam fizzled into the ceiling. The guard, who was seconds from death, was spared.
Breathless, Damen switched to another target. His vision soared skyward—this one was flying, skimming the chandeliers with perfect control.
"Damn," Damen whispered, eyes wide. "Flying… that's so freaking cool."
Suddenly, one of the guests lunged at the flying robber in his live view, his arm morphing into a jagged spear of energy. He snapped his hand up, trying to summon a shield.
"Sorry, buddy—wrong day to mess with me," Damen muttered, fingers racing across his interface. Acquire: Strength. Acquire: Charm. Acquire: Meta. Acquire: Command.
He triggered them in rapid succession.
The robber's shield fizzled—the chain of psychic Acquires from Damen's mining app disrupted his focus.
"ARGHHH!" He screamed as an energy spear slammed into his chest, knocking him to the ground. Agony burned through his ribs, neutralizing him immediately.
Gritting his teeth, Damen forced his live view to shift.
He jumped into the Live View of another robber. This one sprinted across the hall toward people he was familiar with-Dorin and Lander.
The man's mouth opened then unleashed a bone-rattling sonic cry. The wave hit the agents like a hammer, dropping them to their knees. They clutched their ears, opened their eyes wide, their bodies shuddering as if they were breaking apart from within.
Damen hesitated.
"Do I save them?" he wondered.
They were SIA agents who were already sniffing around him, digging into his file. If they died here, maybe his problems would die with them.
He wrestled with the thought for a heartbeat too long.
Then his instinct won.
They were a potential danger, but they never truly harmed him in any way. In fact, Dorin was quite nice to him, except for her job forcing her to target him.
"Damn it…" he hissed, pressing the commands again. Acquire: Strength. Acquire: Charm. Acquire: Meta. Acquire: Command.
The robber's scream cut off mid-note. He staggered, choking on silence. Lander snapped back, grabbed Dorin's hand, and dragged her away.
Before the man could recover, Damen flicked his focus elsewhere. He didn't bother following the agents. He'd done his part.
The rest was their problem.
Under the table, Damen let out a shaky laugh.
"A weak F-rank or not, I am holding my own in a fight between powerful villains and heroes", he thought to himself. His chest throbbed, but his heart pounded with something like exhilaration.
"So, this is what it feels like… to be a hero", he wondered for a moment.
Then he smirked. "Nah. It feels great, but it's not my style. I'd rather be like Zairgid—hugging the walls, invisible, waiting it all to pan out without his involvement," he thought.
Damen slumped in his chair, all his Acquires spent.
Even with enough coins, he couldn't tap the same target twice. He could only hope the fight ended soon and the robbers made their exit.
Then his worst nightmare happened.
A figure slammed into his desk, exposing him to the chaos outside.
"Dammit, I'm exposed," he muttered under his breath.
But to his surprise, the robber paused, turning his head to look at him… and then just as suddenly, looked away.
"What the hell? Is he pretending not to see me?" Damen thought, his heart hammering, but didn't dare speak aloud.
A moment later, a wave of kinetic energy slammed into the man. He flew backward, crashing across the hall. Damen blinked and realized it.
Sitting perfectly still, his body had blended seamlessly into the environment.
"Dammit… is this how Camouflage works?" he whispered, his eyes wide. He'd finally activated the meta skill he had just acquired, and the thrill of invisibility sent a jolt through him.
He crouched, waiting, when a glint caught his eye.
"Take the jewel", his mind told him as a piece of jewel on auction fell near him. Then he reasoned, "If I was found stealing from the auction, they'll kill me."
But then Greed and curiosity overrode caution. He snatched the shiny object near his feet and pocketed it, unseen by anyone.
Damen remained calm sitting on the floor hidden by his camouflage as the fight rages around him. He felt like time stopped as everything moved around him like he wasn't there at all.
Eventually, the entrance shield shattered, and reinforcements poured in. Guards rushed in, forcing the robbers to retreat.
The intruders shot upward through a hole in the ceiling, disappearing into the night.
The heist was over.
Once the dust settled, police moved in to tend the wounded and interrogate the suspects and the witnesses alike. Damen leaned back, imagining the long hours of questioning to come.
Then Damen began to worry.
"Would they search my body and find the missing gem?" Damen asked himself.
This was a major heist. All the guests who were in the room would definitely be questioned or even searched. As he was thinking about ditching the jewel, Zairgid came over.
"Come on," Zairgid said suddenly, appearing beside him with a grin. "My father's assistant will get us out safely. There's no need to waste your night in endless interviews."
"Ah, this is the perks of being rich," Damen muttered with a smirk, following him. "This would also bring me out from the crime scene without question", he thought and gladly touches the jewel in his pocket greedily.
Soon they were gone, leaving the wreckage of the auction hall for the authorities to handle.
-----
"There's something really strange about this footage," Lander said, frowning at the screen.
"What's wrong? We've watched these clips a dozen times," Director Ambrone replied.
"Look here," Lander said, pausing the video. "The suspect was about to cast a shield, then suddenly… his expression changes."
Ambrone leaned in. "I know that look. That's… a psychic attack. A weak one, not enough to hurt but enough to disrupt a meta skill."
"Exactly," Lander confirmed.
"But why are there so many psychics in town? And we still haven't found whoever's helping Damen Dark," Dorin frowned and asked, "It doesn't make sense."
Lander swiped to another clip. A robber screamed a sonic wave directly at him and Dorin, but the wave was abruptly stopped mid-attack.
"Now look at this," Lander said. "Why did he suddenly stop attacking us?"
Ambrone squinted. "He looks like he's in pain again… another psychic attack perhaps?"
Dorin's eyes widened. "Wait..I remember that. That attack saved our lives. Otherwise, we'd have been crushed by the sonic wave. There was… a psychic in the crowd intervening, helping us?"
Lander nodded and switched to another clip, this one was taken after the fight. Several people were being led away from the scene.
One figure removed his mask, and they froze. They recognized him immediately.
"That's… Damen Dark," Ambrone said quietly.